Breaking the Redhead Rule
by lydiamaartin
Summary: Harry's father and grandfather both fell for a redhead, but the girl he's in love with isn't one. Now, if only he could ask her out, maybe people would stop pestering him about dating one specific redhead. - AU


**Disclaimer: I don't own them if you recognize them. **

**Also, like it says in the summary, this is AU because Harry never fell in love with Ginny. He never dated her in sixth year. Other than that, though, everything is canon. This also takes place about two years after the war, so everyone's graduated.**

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* * *

**"So, Harry, don't you think you should be getting yourself a girl soon?"

His best friend's words made Harry sigh in exasperation. Ron had been bugging him about this very subject since the war had ended, and Harry's usual non-answers were not enough to satisfy him. It was clear that Ron thought Harry needed to settle down, and it was also clear that he had a specific girl in mind for his best friend.

"Ron, I told you, I'm fine being single. Just be happy with Hermione and forget about my love life," Harry told him patiently, like he had every time this topic had been brought up.

"You mean lack of," Ron muttered. "Didn't your parents fall in love early?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, certain he knew where this was going. "Ron, I'm not going to get married at age nineteen."

"I didn't say you had to get married," Ron said. "Just date a bit. I mean, your father liked redheads and there are a…few around town."

This was a lie, Harry knew. He, Ron, and Hermione lived in the muggle part of Ottery St. Catchpole, and the only female redhead around was Ginny.

"Five of which are your brothers," Harry pointed out. "Three of which are those seven-year-old triplets that live across the street, two of which are your parents—"

Ron cut him off, apparently having taken that as his cue. "There's Ginny," he pointed out, though Harry knew as well as he did that Ginny lived here.

"Ron," Harry said slowly, "I am not in love with Ginny."

It was just too bad that Ron wouldn't believe him.

* * *

"Doesn't it get lonely around here?" Hermione asked him, critically eyeing the comfortable, but messy one-person house Harry lived in. Since she had moved in with Ron a few months earlier, their house was always perfectly neat, but Hermione had never quite managed to get Harry to clean up his house.

"Not really," Harry shrugged, grinning wryly. "I've got paperwork to keep me company." He patted the piles of parchment gathered on every available surface. Training to be an auror involved more paperwork than it did physical or magical prowess, as he'd found out the hard way.

"Don't you think you should get out a bit, improve your social life?" Hermione persisted, and Harry knew what she wanted to say: _Go ask out Ginny before we do it for you!_

"I keep in touch with the DA," Harry reminded her. "I met with Terry and Lavender the other day over at Hannah's pub. They're planning for a winter wedding sometime next year." The last bit of information was fairly pointless, but he had been hoping it would distract Hermione from perusing the subject further.

He should have known better. "Exactly," Hermione said, hands on her hips. "They're getting married, and your one and only date was four years ago! Harry, you need to get a girl in your life."

"You're a girl. And you're in my life." Harry adopted an innocent expression as Hermione huffed, looking frustrated.

"That's not what I meant, Harry, and you know it. You need a girlfriend." Her annoyance abruptly vanished and she smiled sweetly at him. "You know, there are plenty of girls out there who like you…plenty in this village too. Maybe you could start by dating one of them?"

"Like who?" Harry asked, face blank. He knew very well who Hermione had in mind.

"I don't know," Hermione hedged. "I figured you liked redheads, because, you know, your father did…"

She trailed off, and Harry was torn between amusement and frustration. "Hermione, what color hair my father preferred on girls has nothing to do with me. I admit, red hair can be pretty on a few girls—"

"Like Ginny?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Harry sighed, wondering if Ginny knew about the not-so-subtle matchmaking their friends were doing.

* * *

"Harry, dear, they're working you too hard," Molly fretted, herding him into the kitchen of the Burrow. "You're thin as a stick!"

If it were anyone else saying that, Harry might have taken it as an insult, but he knew that Molly would take any excuse to feed him, and quite frankly, he preferred her home cooked meals to the restaurant food he'd been living on the past few weeks.

"Thanks, Molly," he said gratefully as she set a plate of steaming, mouthwatering food down in front of him. "This is delicious," he added after the first bite.

"It's no trouble, dear, none at all," Molly beamed at him, looking pleased that he was eating so much. "How has auror training been treating you?"

"Pretty good," Harry said after swallowing. "I think they're all a bit lenient on me since I'm the Boy-Who-Lived and all, but I still learn a lot, so it's okay."

"Well, that's good," Molly said, sitting down across from him. "Made any new friends?"

"Several," Harry answered, hoping the conversation wasn't heading where he thought it was heading.

"Anyone special?" Molly asked him curiously.

Harry nearly groaned. "No, no one special," he told her, taking larger bites as he spoke.

"Oh? No one at all? Surely there are several girls interested in you?" Molly pressed.

Harry shrugged, reaching for the glass of ice water besides his plate. "Well, yeah, a couple, but they're mostly just fan girls who're in love with the Boy-Who-Lived."

"That's too bad," Molly said sympathetically before her face brightened. "Well, you never know where you'll find someone who likes you for you. Your father, you know, preferred redheads…" She sent him a significant look.

"I know he did," Harry began, but Molly didn't seem to have heard him.

"And I'm sure there's a pretty redhead around for you," she added meaningfully.

Harry couldn't resist. "Like, say, Ginny, perhaps?"

Molly appeared to have missed the sarcasm, as her eyes lit up. "Oh, have you finally decided to ask her out?"

Harry felt strangely tempted to bash his head against a brick wall. Repeatedly.

* * *

"Hey, Harry, is this your family tree?" Ginny examined the large tapestry unfolded on the floor of the vault. "Your family's been around for a while."

"Yeah, they have," Harry muttered absently, scooping galleons and sickles into his bags. "About as long as your family, I think."

"Yeah." Ginny peered closely at the tapestry. "Your mum was really pretty."

Harry stepped over assorted boxes and coins to glance over her shoulder at the tiny photograph of his mother's smiling face. "Yeah, she was," he agreed.

"So was your grandmother," Ginny added, eyes traveling up to the picture above the words 'Marianne Davies Potter'. "She had red hair, too."

Harry suppressed a groan. "Red hair, right," he said, wholly unenthusiastic about the topic, but Ginny didn't notice.

"I guess Potters have a thing for red hair." Ginny flashed him a bright smile. Apparently, the fact that his great-grandmother was a blond and his great-great-grandmother a brunette had escaped her notice.

"I guess," he repeated. "Say, didn't you have to get some money from your vault?"

"Oh, right." Ginny brushed her red hair out of her eyes—Harry got the distinct feeling this was a message of some sort—and folded up the tapestry again. "Let's go, then."

"Let's," Harry agreed, following her out and trying to ignore the scarlet locks bouncing in front of his face as she walked.

* * *

"I don't suppose Ron and Molly have stopped pestering you about asking Ginny out?"

Arthur Weasley's voice was highly amused as he took a seat opposite Harry in their usual booth at the Leaky Cauldron. His younger companion shook his head, looking annoyed.

"No, they haven't, and even Hermione's been dropping hints about it," Harry rolled his eyes. "I guess they think I haven't figured out yet that they want me to ask out Ginny."

Arthur studied him for a moment as the two lapsed into comfortable silence before speaking. "You've got another girl in mind?"

Harry's eyes snapped up from his glass, a startled look crossing his features. "I—another girl?"

Arthur chuckled. "You know, if the others would forget about the idea of you and Ginny for a moment, they'd realize you're already in love."

Harry looked resigned. "Is it that obvious?"

"A little," Arthur smiled. "But then, I have six sons. I'm pretty used to the symptoms. I don't suppose you'll tell me who she is?"

Harry glanced around the pub. Several people were staring at him openly, or whispering excitedly to their friends. Most everyone in earshot was attempting to listen in, though the booth was far back enough that they couldn't properly hear anything.

Harry cast a quick Silencing Charm and gave Arthur a name.

The older man laughed. "I'm not sure how I missed that, in hindsight."

"Everything's obvious in hindsight," Harry reminded him, grinning.

"Are you going to ask her out?" Arthur asked curiously.

Harry hesitated. "Believe me, I want to. But it's hard to put into words, and I don't even know if she likes me back."

"She's difficult to figure out," Arthur agreed. "But you'll never know if she likes you or not if you don't ask her."

"I know." Harry sighed. "I keep telling myself that, but I always chicken out."

Arthur offered him a comforting smile. "Don't worry. If it's meant to be, it'll happen."

"I guess," Harry said. "On the bright side, at least she's not a redhead. If I ever get around to asking her out, it'll at least put that rumor about Potters only falling for redheads to rest."

Arthur laughed. "Yes, that was quite a silly rumor, wasn't it?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You have no idea."

* * *

"Remind me, how long have you liked her?" Neville inquired, systemically watering the plants in Greenhouse One.

"A while," Harry told him, working on the plants on the other side of the greenhouse. "After the war, I think. We spent a lot of time together, then, you, me, and her."

"I remember," Neville said reminiscently. "Although, I never thought you'd fall for her."

"Yeah, well, I never thought you'd fall for Hannah Abbot, either," Harry returned, grinning.

Neville blushed. His crush on the blond Hufflepuff had become fairly obvious in the weeks following the final battle. He had finally gained the courage to ask her out a few months ago, though that didn't stop Harry from teasing him.

"Right, well, at least I got around to asking her out," Neville retorted. "When are you going to do that, anyways?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I still have to figure out a way to do it without making a total idiot of myself."

"It's not like she'll care if you look like an idiot," Neville reminded him. "Remember who we're talking about here."

"I know, I know." Harry laughed wryly. "But I still don't want to embarrass myself in front of her."

"That's understandable," Neville inclined his head. "But you've got to get around to it sometimes. Or else, Ron and Hermione and everyone are going to keep bothering you about asking Ginny out."

Harry sighed. "Please, don't remind me."

"That bad?" Neville asked sympathetically.

Harry rolled his eyes. "They find a way to work some genetic red hair attraction into every single conversation!"

"Genetic red hair—" Neville began, then cut himself off, shaking his head. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know."

"No," Harry agreed. "You really don't."

* * *

"Say, where did Harry go?" Ron asked his girlfriend and sister as they exited Honeyduke's, having traveled to Hogsmeade to visit Neville.

"He was here when we went into the store," Hermione frowned. "Neville, have you seen him?"

Neville, who had stayed behind to get a few more chocolates for Hannah, shrugged. "He said something about meeting someone."

"Meeting who?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I don't know," Neville, who knew very well, answered.

"Well, where is he?" Hermione looked impatient. "We've got more shopping to do!" Her words caused Ron to groan, but he wisely kept silent at the look she sent him.

"Hey, isn't that him?" Ron said suddenly, staring over at the Shrieking Shack, where a familiar mop of dark hair was clearly visible.

"Yes, it is," Ginny confirmed, following her brother's gaze. "Let's go get him, then."

Neville looked worried. "Wait, guys, what if he's talking to somebody important? Like…the head of the aurors, or something!"

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny appeared not to have heard him as they made their way through the crowds of students outside Honeyduke's over to the Shrieking Shack. Neville groaned, hurrying to catch up with the trio and hoping Harry had had enough time to do what he wanted to do.

Hermione reached the Shrieking Shack first and opened her mouth to call Harry when she realized that there was someone with him. Someone young, blond, and female.

Someone he was kissing.

"Harry?" Ginny said in a tone of disbelief when she caught up with Hermione.

Harry broke apart from the girl he was kissing and spun to face his friends, revealing the identity of his companion in the process.

"_Luna_?" Ron's tone was the same as his sister's as he stared at Luna, who was still holding Harry's hand.

There was a pregnant silence. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were still alternating shocked glances between Harry and Luna. Neville offered his friend a grin and a thumbs up.

Ginny finally broke the silence. "Since when were you dating Luna?"

"Since a few minutes ago," Luna answered calmly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "Why do you ask?"

"But she's not a redhead!" Ron blurted out.

Harry rolled his eyes. "And where is this rulebook that says I absolutely _have_ to fall for a redhead?"

"But your father did!" Hermione glanced helplessly at Ginny.

"I'm not my father, Hermione," Harry said patiently. "Just because he prefered redheads doesn't mean I can't date a blond."

"Guys," Neville spoke up. "Maybe we should give them some privacy." Harry sent Neville a grateful look and Luna smiled at him.

Hermione seemed to catch his hint and turned to leave, dragging a still-shocked Ron and Ginny with her. Neville shot Harry and Luna one last grin before following them.

Harry turned to Luna with a smile, reaching out to cup her face. "That redhead rule was stupid, anyway," he grinned, before leaning down and capturing her lips in a kiss.

* * *

**Author's Notes: All right, this was definitely hard to write, mostly because I was constantly afraid of making charcters turn out too OOC. I'm sure some of them turned out that way, anyway, but I liked this plot bunny. It was basically just me experimenting with AU, so if you liked it, please review and let me know!**


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